Musical Rabbit Hole

I was in a music mood and started in one place and ended in a completely different place tonight. I was listening dutifully to "The Color Purple", which I am really enjoying. After about the third time through, I decided to listen to some other stuff. I have been listening to a playlist I made when my dad died and one song just keeps popping out at me - Kenny Loggins' "Conviction of the Heart". It makes me cry almost every time I hear it.

Kenny Loggins – Live in the Redwoods – Conviction of the Heart


Then I was thinking about some of the songs I love but that also put me in this melancholy place...

One Sweet Day - Mariah Carey and Boys II Men
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzeMzo_4pxA

Puff Daddy “I’ll Be Missing You”


Missing – Everything But the Girl


Seal – Don’t Cry (audio only)


U2- Where the Streets Have No Name
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpVbLm4TN3g

the Eagles “Love Will Keep Us Alive”


Then something must have caught my attention and I looked up "Chess" and found out!!! that they did a concert in May 2008 with Idina Menzel and Adam Pascal and Raul Esparza and Josh Groban and it will be made into a CD and DVD...so of course, I had to listen to some of that..

embassy lament – audio only


Mountain Duet – Idina Menzel and Josh Groban


heaven help my heart – Idina Menzel


I know him so well- Idina Menzel and Kerry Ellis
I know him so well- idina menzel and kerry ellis



Anthem Josh Groban


Adam Pascal – Pity the child


Quartet concert


Then I got off track again...distracted back to my task..melancholy old music...
Melissa Etheridge – No Souveniers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbjOttMoaHw

John Secada – Just another day


Nobody Wants to be Lonely live


Gloria Estefan – 1-2-3


Then I thought of George Huff, for some reason...
George Huff – Lean On me


Then I remembered that I had been wanting to find a song that I have only one copy of...

The Dive – Steven Curtis Chapman


This song has a funny story to go with it...I am not a person who is interested in Christian music or musicians. A few years ago, a new Christian music radio station started advertising on television and they had their ads on A LOT. A clip from "The Dive" was on the commercial. I saw it so many times, that the tune just got stuck in my head. I thought "Oh. My. God. If I don't listen to the whole song, the clip will just wear a groove in my brain..." so I looked it up and got a copy of the single in hopes that it would just be done. The tune had already found a place in my brain. I like it. It is catchy. The words could really be about any spiritual belief and the search for self and truth - letting go and trusting. So, there you go.

Then I decided to look up some Christmas music. I posted that on my other blog, WildRumpusing, so I will only post one here. :)

Clay Aiken – Mary Did You Know?



Merry Christmas!

I'm still here...

Here are a couple of pictures from the snowy world here...

Neglected but not forgotten

Well, obviously, I have been neglecting this blog.  I wish, in some ways, that I could combine my other blog with this one.  They started out very different in tone and interest, but right now, I don't really have enough energy to keep them both up.  

I am participating in Nablopomo on the other blog, so that is sucking up all my energy.

I did want to drop in and visit this one, though.  I haven't forgotten this blog.

To that end, a movie conversation (not exactly a review):

I saw "Twilight" last night with a group of women who work for the same company but in a different office.  I don't think a group of us would really do anything organized and social in my office, but we just have a different kind of group.  Anyway, all the women I went with had read the books and were shocked that I hadn't even started them.  I had bought the book, but I loaned it to someone because I knew I wouldn't finish.  I decided I was intrigued enough to read them - given my love of "Buffy", this seems like it will work.  

I really liked the female star, Kristen Stewart, as Bella.  I couldn't remember where I had seen her before and one of my companions told me she was the daugheter in "Panic Room" with Jodie Foster.  That rang a bell, but I knew I had seen her more recently.  When I finally got home and looked her up, I realized where I had seen her before - she was the daughter in "In the Land of Women" and I had REALLY been intrigued by her in that film.  She has a level of reticence that she brings to her characters that makes them seem very real to me.

 Pictured: Gil Birmingham, Billy Burke, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner (from the movie, "Twilight")

I also really liked Taylor Lautner, who played a minor character in this movie, but who I have heard will have a major part in the next movie (big character in book 2, I assume).  I'm eager to read the books to get more of a handle on his character (I can't remember his character's name...).

I thought the movie had some very nice cinematography and certainly conveyed a specific mood.  I liked the actors and the story was interesting enough.  I did note, however, that it was a little slow moving in the exposition.  I think part of it is just setting the scene, but part of it was a lot of brooding stares and longing glances between Edward and Bella which probably played well to the plethora of teenage girls in the audience but wore a bit thin for anyone over the age of 20.  

Finally some good movies

I went to see "The Duchess" yesterday and there were a bunch of really good previews before the movie.  One in particular sparked my excitement for the coming movie season - "Defiance" - with Daniel Craig and some other folks I can't remember...I will have to look it up.  A movie about 3 brothers during WWII in Germany (I believe) who bring a bunch of Jewish people to hide in the woods with them for the duration and decide to fight back rather than wait to be killed or taken.  I'm sure it will be a difficult movie to watch, but meaningful.  So many movies now just don't seem to have a point.

"The Duchess" was pretty good although I went under the auspices that this was a GREAT performance by Ralph Fiennes.  Obviously, they have not seen him in "Schindler's List".  That was a GREAT, if stomach-turning, performance.  I did like Kiera Knightly better than I have in a long time.  I just found the movie sort of pointless.  I'm not much for films of that period, so I didn't expect to be blown away by it.  

 "Defiance"

"The Soloist"

"Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince"

Enjoy!

"RENT" Final Performance at the Movies

It was BRILLIANT. I loved it.

Here's a clip of Adam Pascal and Tamyra Gray singing "Another Day". I love this scene. It's quintessential RENT.

In the mood for some music

I'm not sure what makes me go on YouTube and look up old music...but periodically, I get the urge to wile away a few hours in nostalgia. So here's what I did last night when I couldn't sleep...

Chumbawumba - Tubthumping


The Night I Heard Caruso Sing - Everything but the Girl (not an official video, but the song is beautiful)



Missing - Everything but the Girl (the last song they released before Roby died - we listened to it over and over and over in those last months)


Alison Moyet on David Letterman - Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness"


Walkaway - Kelly Clarkson

Out of Town again

I'm going to Oakland again for business. Will be gone for a week. I hope it's a good trip.

Jean's page - Early Blog

Here is a link to my first attempt at making a website...I was going to put more poetry on it, but I loved how it looked so much, I didn't mess with it anymore...

http://vindaloorent.homestead.com/jeanspage.html

I have a few of these pages wandering around. I think I have them listed on WildRumpusing on the left side if you are interested in looking at them. Much more image heavy - I could do that on homestead...

Anyway, I thought I would post it here since it directly influenced me changing the name of the blog.

Photo Mosaic - Joy Pink Dance

The last mosaic had TWO duplicate pictures in it...GRR. So I made an entirely new one with a theme...Joy, pink, dance.



1. Young sâdhu, Allahabad. India 2007, 2. Faith's birthday pink cupcakes!, 3. Best Friends in the Blink of an Eye (crop 2), 4. Little Hands, Little White Rose, 5. Goodbye Winter!, 6. Dancing Rainbow, 7. Strawberry pink cupcake, 8. Pretty Pink Coconut Cupcakes, 9. A star that spreads pink joy., 10. Pink Tutus, 11. joyful dancer, 12. Yummy Pink Cupcake, 13. I'm singing in the rain I, 14. Colours that were my joy ..., 15. Very Pink, 16. Telling tales, 17. A New World, 18. Pink Cupcakes, 19. Joyful dancing., 20. Curly Girl, 21. Thai Girls, 22. Sunset dancer, 23. Thanks,God, 24. Very Pink cupcakes, 25. conscientious, 26. ~maive~, 27. ~dance, 28. a chronicle of obsessions, 29. Family Portrait, 30. Do a little dance!, 31. pink cupcakes, 32. Dancing Girl, 33. Beautiful eyes, 34. Dance like no one is watching., 35. pink and brown cupcakes, 36. Pink Cupcakes Drive Me Crazy!

Photo Mosaic - Flickr Exploration 3

I love photos and color. I read a blog that had a photo mosaic on it and I have been messing with that ever since I saw it...

Here's one I particularly like:

Mosaic Explore 3



1. a fairy cake, 2. yawn, 3. Oia Doors, No. 2, 4. new crayons after, 5. I can see you!, 6. shakespeare & co., 7. End Of The Day, 8. Flickr meltdown, 9. Time..., 10. there's nothing better than summer, 11. Moon present., 12. ariane, 13. I ate 6, 14. ariane, 15. Untitled, 16. Amazing Thailand, 17. Reflections of Autumn, 18. I can see you!, 19. Mr. Jack, 20. a cupcake for Jan, 21. Haystack Rock, 22. "And now," cried Max, "let the wild rumpus start!", 23. Black Friday, 24. Orange as any orange on a tree, 25. Pigeon Point / Sky Whale...

MIA from Blogland

I keep thinking that I will have something brilliant to share if I just give myself some time, but I actually think that the more time I take away, the less I have to talk about. I know that I think about all kinds of stuff all day long and when I was blogging every day, at least I took the time to kind of simmer down and put something out there...It didn't always make sense, but I think it helped me gather my thoughts.

I know that Nablopomo was too much pressure to do a third month in a row. It wasn't the daily thing so much as the theme and how I never managed to keep to the theme everyday. I'm looking to see what the July theme is...my birthday month, so it might be cool to do another one for that...depends on the theme, though.

Anyway, not much to share. I saw a good movie called, "The Namesake" which I really liked. I love East Indian information, color, people, etc. I liked it a lot. Made me miss my Dad.

Been away...

Well, I took a little break from blogging..I thought about coming back, but I just needed a break...Lots of things going on in my mind and life..

I interpreted "High School Musical" today...the movie and the show are not the same. They basically took parts of the show, the same basic idea and added more songs, split it up so it was more complicated and put it on stage. After "Sweeney Todd" and some of the more serious shows I have done, it was nice, but it is so hard to do shows when we only get to see it once before we interpret...I call it "kamikazee interpreting", we bomb in and bomb out and people barely notice we are even there.

Anyway, I will be back starting now. Rest is good.

Jean

My favorite color...

What Your Favorite Color Pink Says About You:

Blissful --- Content --- Romantic Idealistic --- Expressive --- Artistic Funny --- Quirky --- Individualistic

What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?

Nablopomo - April

Dear April Nablopomo-

I didn't do very well in the letter department. I think I'm going to take a month off of Nablopomo. I'm still in the Blog365 project, so I will post daily, but the whole theme thing is not as easy as I thought it would be.

I'm reading lots of stuff on blogs and art right now, so hopefully, that will help me reinvigorate for the blogs I'm working on.

Happy April!

I'm in Oakland

The hotel's computer doesn't type @ so I wasn't able to log in when I wanted to. Too much going on to really be able to say much right now. More later.

Out of town, last minute

I have to go out of town. I just found out today. No friends are there. :( I wish there were. Oh, well. I guess a change of scenery isn't such a bad thing. Right? Right?

I hope the hotel has internet.

Bad form?

Dear Reader(s):

Is it bad form to change the name of your blog?

I just made this one up because I couldn't think of anything with PINK in the title that wasn't already taken. Ha.

I will think about it. I know there has to be something I can come up with that represents me better or is more interesting...

Although I have noticed that if you have an "A" in the title and join a blogroll, people come and visit. I don't know how the Zs do. I should find out.

In honor of National Poetry Month

When I die, I want your hands on my eyes:
I want the light and the wheat of your beloved hands
To pass their freshness over me once more:
I want to feel the softness that changed my destiny.

I want you to live while I wait for you, asleep
I want your ears still to hear the wind, I want you
To sniff the sea’s aroma that we loved together
To continue to walk on the sand we walked on.

I want what I love to continue to live,
And you whom I love and sang above everything else
To continue to flourish, full-flowered:

So that you can reach everything my love directs you to,
So that my shadow can travel along in your hair,
So that everything can learn the reason for my song.

Pablo Neruda

Letter to April NaBloPoMo

Dear April NaBloPoMo-

I suck at the themes. I get all geared up and then I get busy or my mind goes elsewhere. I KNOW I could have done this better this month, but I was determined to write letters. When I started, suddenly, all the letters I have ever wanted to write dried up in my head.

I read a bunch of other blogs and they were going by letter in the alphabet...I wish I had thought of it sooner. I thought I had to stick with writing letters to someone instead of changing midstream. Sigh.

I'm glad I decided to join this month to keep me going, but I wish I had done a better job with the theme...

Jean

P.S. I am sick of politics. Will November never come?

Lessons

Ramblings...

First off, I am still disappointed that I started "Jean's Reading Renaissance" and I still have not really done any significant reading. How frustrating is that?!? I have just been too tired.

The other thing I wanted to just record here is that April has been a challenging month for me here on the blog. I think I am exhausted by the political scene - I listen to too much progressive radio and I think it gets me down sometimes. I think that kind of stuff really sinks into the subconcious and has a profound effect.

I love the idea of writing letters and the idea of focusing on a letter, I wish I had done better. I'm going to try to do better for the rest of the month. I just haven't been able to focus on anything. My mind has gone from the ridiculous to the sublime and sometimes I find it hard to marry the two...to ahve a post about the water crisis in the world and then complain about my day...So that sometimes hinders my creative mind because I feel like I can't reconcile the two things. It seems silly because I see it all the time in the blogs that I read and it isn't jarring to me.. I think it is kind of like mixed tapes - sometimes you start on one mood and then the songs lead you in another direction and sometimes the direction is happy and sometimes it isn't...

Anyway, thanks for bearing with me.

Letter to Oprah

Dear Oprah-

You are an amazing woman. I love that you have taken your incredible business sense and your ability to connect to people and put it to use in meaningful ways. "The Big Give" was an inspiration to anyone who watched. We can all do more.

Thank you for sharing your gifts and your passion. The world is a better place with you in it.

Jean

No letter today...

David archuleta - Imagine

Allies Retreat 08

"More than anything, an Allies retreat is a chance for Deaf people, CODAs and Interpreters to understand each other in a new way. We begin our discussions acknowledging that we experience conflicts. We acknowledge that the field of interpreting is, above all, about working with people who are Deaf. We are committed to creating a space to listen and learn from what Deaf people want to tell us. And we are committed to recognizing that we must examine how we have responded to the needs of our diverse colleagues and consumers.

We believe that talking to each other can make a difference. We're committed to having challenging conversation in a supportive environment. We believe that by honoring each of our cultures, we can talk to each other more effectively. We believe that our difficulties often come from assumptions about what we know (and don't know). By practicing dialogue with each other, with the support of our peers at the retreat, we can transform the sometimes challenging experience of Deaf/CODA/hearing relationships." - Quote from Allies 08 information posted on YouTube.

For more information go to www.allies08.com

D-PAN interpretation of "Beautiful"


To support D-PAN, please go to www.D-PAN.com

Imagining a different path...

DPAN Interpretation of "Waiting for the World to Change"


I was at an "Allies" workshop for Deaf people, CODAs (Children of Deaf Adults) and hearing interpreters. The goal of the weekend was transformation and possibilities for walking a new path as an ally.

Blast from the Past - 1984

lets go crazy

Musical letter

like a prayer – blonde ambition 1990

Ahhhh...

btvs goodbye to you

Tax Day

Dear IRS-

They are done. Mailed. Before midnight. Yay.

Dear SL

Dear SL-

Thank you so much for introducing me to the blog world. Even though it is not reading literature or a good juicy novel, it has opened my world and has allowed me to go back to a creative space that I thought I had abandoned. The other thing that I have been inspired to do by this journey is to be a better person and to explore ways to make the world a better place.

Clearly, I have been spending far too much time wandering from blog to blog, but I am enjoying it thoroughly.

So, thank you. In honor of my signing up for a Google Reader, I am going to post my blogaffairs that I have been conducting under cover of Sundays and without leaving many comments.

Wishing you creative days and lots of positive energy.

Jean

Letter to Water Drinkers

Dear Fellow Water Drinker-

Many of us take for granted that we could drink 8 glasses of clean water each day and whether we do that or we don't do that, it seems criminal that we don't even really realize (most of us) that so many people across the globe don't have the option... Even if they could drink 8 glasses of water, it probably isn't clean the way ours is.

So consider getting involved in providing clean water to those who don't have it. You can be pretty passive about it - just give money, buy water that will benefit a charity, etc.

Here are two great videos to give you more information:

Charity:Water founder


Jennifer Connelly - Charity:Water


Please help out if you can.

Letter from the past

So, I have been dealing with this whole storage space situation for several weeks now. Today, I went over to transfer the contents of some boxes into other containers as the boxes were old and squashed from the weight of 10+ years and other boxes that were old and squashed resting on top of them.

As I opened a big box that had been in the far back corner on the bottom (the last box I could get to when the space was full), I saw a bunch of spiral notebooks from when I was in college...and as I pulled them out, a thought occurred to me that I might find the notebook I had been searching for for many years - one I hoped to find and one I was afraid to find.

I found it.

It is a simple black spiral notebook. If you knew me at all, you would know that the color, in and of itself, is unusual for me. All the other notebooks were purple or had unicorn pictures or other designs on them, or at the very least, they were colored and had a bunch of notes to myself written on the cover. Not this one. Just plain black.

There were a bunch of loose pages in the front, but I was not interested in those. I turned to the very first page (also unusual for me to write on the first page - I always wanted a page or two blank in the front for privacy..if someone picked it up, they might not read it if it looked blank).

"Thursday, June 26, 1986 (technically June 27 at 12:09am)

The doctor told Roby he has AIDS. He called him at work and told him over the phone. Roby called me. He was crying so hard he could hardly talk. I picked him up from work. I felt so helpless. I didn't know what to say or how to act. All I wanted was to take him in my arms and hug all his pain away. But I couldn't. I felt a huge wall between us. I tried to put my arm around him, but he seemed to move away. I feel numb. I didn't cry until he told Jenny (M.) and Susan. I felt like I had to be strong. Susan fell apart and sobbed. Later in her apartment, she and I talked. I cried and she somehow knew that I needed for her to tell me it was okay. We talked for awhile. Roby loves her so much. So do I. Even Jenny and I talked. She held me when I cried and held my hand for a while. I felt as if we were friends just then.

I don't know how to feel. This has got to be a mistake. It has to be. I know this is selfish, but I don't want to lose him, I can't. Not now. Not ever."

I remember that I went to bed right after I wrote that. I put the notebook in my nightstand and turned off the lights. Later, my mother came home and checked on me as I was rarely in bed that early. She gave me a kiss on the forehead and closed my door after I assured her that I was ok.

The night that changed my whole life.

Someone Else's letters

I was reading a blog (looking for something else) when I happened across this posting:

http://godboxcafe.blogspot.com/2008/04/on-positive-note-to-balance-things-out.html#links

The sweetness and kindness made me cry. Or I'm just getting soft in my old age (or was I always a softie?)

In lieu of my own letter, which I didn't write today, please read this one. And think about doing something kind for someone in need.

Tonight I interpret "Sweeney", tomorrow, I return to my letters in April

Dear KGV-

I just saw the production of "Sweeney Tood" - the revival. Interestingly, I have the video of the version with Angela Landsbury and George Hearn (I prefer Len Cariou). I have always loved that version - particularly Angela Landsbury...

After seeing this version - very conceptual and focused solely on the music (the actors are brilliant singers and talented musicians - playing, singing and acting in a small space), I watched the video again and it was remarkably old fashioned.. I was suprised. But I liked the show.

If I had never seen it before, I might have different feelings about it, but as I have been listening to "Sweeney" on and off for 20 years, I think I felt pretty comfortable not having to see the blood-letting.

Jean

What I have been working on instead of letters here..

Letter to Visitors

Dear Blog Reader-

Welcome to my blog. I haven't been blogging very long and it is all still pretty new to me. I hope something that I have to share or say or show is interesting, inspiring or just funny for you.

Please leave a comment if you would like to. If not, that's ok too. I hope there are a couple of folks out there. I would love to read your blogs if you have one.

I will write more to you later, but I just wanted to say "Hello!"

Sincerly

Jean

Remembering MLK - continuation

I was reading the paper today and found a really moving commentary piece written by Leonard Pitts Jr. It is called, "Remembering MLK: In tragedy's wake, greatness and grace". Please go and read it. I will write a letter later.

Hope Revolution

Please go to this site and watch this lovely video...

http://www.hoperevo.com/blog/

I love the idea of leaving hopeful messages out there for people to find. I wanted to start the generosity.org concept at work (hoping it would go out to the world from there) but I ran into some less-than-hopeful issues and dropped the idea. I think I'm going to try again.

Everyone needs a few kind words.

Funny!

I know this is an ad for insurance, but I laughed out loud when I saw the picture, so I just had to post it.

A Letter to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the 40th anniversary of his death

Dear Dr. King-

I am not African American and I cannot understand how it must feel to be judged and oppressed because of my skin color. Regardless of that, you have always been one of my heroes. You died when I was less than a year old, but I always felt your presence in the world from the time I was a child.

Today it has been 40 years since your assassination. I watched videos of your life and the last days and the years have not assuaged the grief that I feel for the loss of your life, the loss of the leader who could actually lead the United States to the next level. Your dream is still not a reality. Even as Barak Obama is running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. President, it is so obvious that we are not where we need to be. Poverty, oppression, racism and the disenfranchisement of black individuals and other minority people are still the norm. Some things have changed, but not enough.

As I sat at my computer today, listening to your voice speak prophetically that you had "been to the mountain top" and "seen the other side" that you "might not get there with you", I wept. Wept as if it was the first time you moved me so. It is not the first time. Nor the last.

In honor of your life, I am posting videos to commemorate your dream, your life, your great work and hope. It is difficult not to try to imagine what would be different in our world if you had not been taken from us.

In loving memory

Jean


"The Last Days of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (from MSNBC)



Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s last speech



Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's "I have a Dream" speech from the March on Washington

Letter to Self, part II

Dear Self-

I just want to congratulate you on taking the day off tomorrow. I know it isn't easy when there is so much going on, but I think it is important to stay fresh and not let yourself be taken advantage of. Two days off will be rejuvinating and make next week easier to get through.

Good job!

Jean

Letter to Self

Dear Self-

Please go home earlier from work. The work will still be there tomorrow and you will feel better. When you stay for 12 or 14 hours, you get less done and you get depressed because you have no life except for work, sleep and "Buffy" episodes you can't finish because you fall asleep in the first 3 minutes of the show.

Do us all a favor.

Sincerely
Jean

Letter to G.

Dear G-

I will not work 21 days in a row without a day off. I will not work 6 days a week whenever your whim tells you that I should work. I will not go another 3 years without a wage increase of any kind. I don't mind being "flexible" but it is important for you to know that even flexible things break. Sometimes, if you wear all of the elasticity out of an item, it just snaps and usually, snapping happens in a quick, unexpected and not so soft way.

I love my job. I love what I do and how much I have grown. I do not love that I am not valued as much as I would like to be. I love that I am challenged everyday and that I feel like I'm not naturally good at this. I have always been good at everything and this is SO MUCH WORK. That is not a bad thing. I am never bored. Not once in 3 years. But I am burned out. And that is sad.

I hope we can come to some kind of understanding about this weekend thing.

Sincerely-
Jean

April Nablopomo - Letters

I wasn't going to do it this month, but I LOVE the idea of letters - letters to the editor, to friends, to companies, to self. Focusing on fonts or on letters themselves...cool.

I think I will have an easier time doing this than the lists...maybe. We'll see.

The End of March Madness and this NaBloPoMo

Well, it has been an interesting month. I thought I would spend it writing lists of things and I didn't really do that. I started out with lists as my March theme, but then I dropped off as life got more complicated.

Here's my final list for March:

Things I would like to be doing instead of what I'm actually doing:

1. Staying at Cannon Beach in a quiet hotel room on the beach watching the snow and listening to the ocean
2. Flying to NYC to see "RENT" over and over again.
3. going to Sacramento to visit my friends
4. Watching movies all day in my pajamas
5. Reading until I can't see straight - trying to catch up on my book reading goals
6. Finishing my craft box that I started on Saturday

I love Oprah Magazine

I found this beautiful poem in an old Oprah magazine. Just what I needed today.

"You will be walking one night
in the comfortable dark of your yard
and suddenly a great light will shine
round about you, and behind you
will be a wall you never saw before...

Though you have done nothing shameful,
they will want you to be ashamed.
they will want you to kneel and weep
and say you should have been like them...

Be ready.
When their light has picked you out
and their questions are asked, say to them:
"I am not ashamed." A sure horizon
will come around you. The heron will begin
his evening flight from the hilltop."

Wendell Berry, from "Do Not Be Ashamed"

Hands, Hands, Everywhere Hands!

I love this picture and yet, it creeps me out. Weird.

Quote of the day

"It is a sadness of growing older that we lose our ardent appreciation of what is new and different and difficult."

Elizabeth Aston, The Exploits and Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy, 2005

I definitely prefer known quantities, consistency and predictability at this point in my life. Roby would laugh at how old I have become. He kept me young, I think. And on my toes.

Working on my next show

Lessons

Loose lips sink ships.
Discretion is the better part of valor.

Beauty is...

I remember seeing this photo layout of Liv Tyler about 10 years ago or so...I thought she was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. I couldn't believe her father was Steven Tyler...bizarre.

More clips because writing is beyond me right now

peter paul and mary 1964 newport folk festival


pink dear mr president live

Holy Cow, what a week!

So instead of a movie day yesterday, I spent most of the day moving boxes and things from one storage space to a new one. A guy who was moving out of the storage facility hit a sprinkler head and the place flooded.

The guy at the storage place has no concept of how to give people the information they need to do what needs to be done...The first message was that there had been an "incident" and that I should call. Sounded like someone had broken in, so I figured I couldn't really do anything about it that day. The second message the next day said that "there was water involved" and I should come asap. I went in after the second message and they guy told me they would need for me to move all the stuff out so they could inspect the space. I went in before work and I had already gone into the space and it didn't look wet at all. I couldn't smell anything or find water where it seemed most logical that it would be. There was no way I could move all that stuff alone in the short time I had before work, so I told them I would come in on Saturday. He was shocked, like, "Don't you care?" and I thought, "Well, if it is already ruined, I can't change that. I will deal with the consequences on Saturday."

So I went to the space yesterday with my mother where a woman finally gave me information. The water was seeping in from the back corner and they were worried about mold. She told me they would give me plastic bags, boxes and another storage space to move my stuff to (I didn't want to move it all out into the hallway and then have to move it back where water might seep in...). I spent most of the day moving boxes until I could hardly move anymore. I trying not to look at all the stuff, but I decided to CLEARLY mark the boxes that weren't already marked. So I found a purple marker in the first box, opened the lid and marked the boxes as best I could with a L, M, H for light, medium or heavy. A lot of the boxes were marked with things like "Old CRAP" or "1990s Crap" or "Really Old WEIRD Crap". But that helps me know what to expect. I did find some important boxes with papers and things from HS or my childhood. I found my AAS degree and HS Diploma, my HS yearbook and some of the writing I had done in high school.

This will continue to be a project, but the good news was that there didn't appear to be any water in the space. Whew.

More videos because I like them...

Les Miz tony awards



Endless Night

What a week

It has been a really intense week at work, in my life, with people. I have been craving good sleep and a mental escape from all the frantic-ness and neediness of people. I love connections and I love people, but it takes so much energy to be with so many people in a week...

Anyway, I am hunkering down for a movie day tomorrow - GUILT FREE. I have earned it this week.

And in case things don't get any better...

wheels of a dream

This week is not rounding out well...

Bad week at work, an "incident" at my storage unit that I have to investigate, feeling kind of crappy and not sleeping well/enough. I hope things get better before the weekend.

Here's something that will make me happy:

One Day More – OLC Reunion



bui doi – peter polycarpou (original London cast)

I am grumpy...so here...

I think Jennifer Hudson is gorgeous and has an incredible voice.

Photobucket meme

I was reading a random blog and came across this...It was fun, except for the last question...

Here I go.

The rules are:

1. Go to http://photobucket.com
2. Type in your answer to each question in the search box.
3. Use only the first page
4. Copy the html and paste for the answer.



1. What is your relationship status?







2. Who is your celebrity crush?











3. Who is your favourite band?










4. What is your favourite movie?

























5. What kind of pet do you have?










6. Where do you live?









7. Where do you work?










8. What do you look like?











9. What do you drive?
















10. What is your favourite TV show?























11. Describe yourself.

12. What’s your name?







13. What’s your favourite candy?




















14. Do we have anything in common?

Tap Project - Help Unicef Provide Clean Drinking Water

INDIA: A woman and a girl draw water from a pump set up in a tent camp for people displaced by the tsunami in the seaside village of Mudtukadu. UNICEF/ HQ05-0491/Ami Vital

I posted this on my other blog, but on the off chance that someone might read about this and participate in the Tap Project this week, I decided to put it in both places....

I heard about this on the radio (KPOJ 620 AM) on Air America. The Tap Project was in NYC last year for one night and raised $100,000 by charging patrons of restaurants $1 for a glass of tap water. The money goes to help provide clean drinking water to children and impoverished people all over the world. On the website, it says for every $1 earned, a child will have clean drinking water for 40 days.
On the radio this morning, they said the number of children who die each year because they do not have access to clean drinking water. It is the second leading cause of death for children under age 5 worldwide.
To find out more or to find out how to participate THIS WEEK, go to Tap Project.
I know that we take our water for granted in the United States and, I think, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. We consider our water to be pristine for the most part. And we are lucky. Since I started my 101 in 1001 project, I have been making sure I drink at least 64 ounces of water per day. I guess it has become such an important part of my commitment to myself recently that this really caught my ear.
Here is more information about water taken from the Tap Project website:
Tap Water FactsThe Situation· More than 5,000 children are dying every day as a result of water-borne diseases· For each dollar spent on water and sanitation projects, the projected return on investment is from $3 to $34How UNICEF Helps· UNICEF works to improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities in schools and communities, while promoting safe hygiene practices in more than 90 countries around the world· More than 1.2 billion people gained access to improved drinking water between 1990 and 2004 through UNICEF's efforts, and about 1.2 billion gained access to improved sanitation facilities· UNICEF's goal is to cut the number of people without sustainable access to safe water and basic sanitation in half by 2015
Another website Water for Life talks about a decade of work on the issue. Just remember, $1 for 40 days of clean water. Small price to pay.

SignPlay.com

I just spent the morning updating SignPlay.com and I re-did my bio. I want to change it all soon, but I don't have the expertise in HTML to do the whole site myself. I am trying to figure out what I want it to look like. I got a sitemeter up there so that I don't lose the stats everytime I make a new main page...As of today (right before I made this dumb error), SignPlay.com had had 4,482 visitors. Not bad for a rinky-dink operation in a rural state serving a teeny-tiny population of people.

Aside from all of that, I got all the 2008-2009 season information up that I had access to and I updated the Yahoogroup calendar so that email reminders will go out a few days before the shows.

I feel a sense of relief. Even though this is purely a volunteer effort, people feel like they can get nasty about things not being updated. :(

So, check it out - www.signplay.com

Enjoy.

Another lazy Saturday

One of the things I hate the most about this job is the affect it has had on my weekends. I don't hate my job, but it is utterly exhausting - emotionally, mentally. The constant level of chaos just makes it hard to want to do anything on the weekends.

Most weekends, as I approach them, consists of broken plans. Mostly I think about cleaning and doing a bunch of errands - clean my car out, wash it, clean my bedroom, do a project.

Usually, I end up waking up really early and watching a movie or something and then I fall asleep again around 10:30am and then the rest of the day is spent avoiding whatever plan I had.

I think I need to write my weekend plans down. Make them as important as the blog or the movies or whatever. Maybe writing here will be my reward for getting a task done.

Hmmm. I like that idea. Let me think about it some more.

Word Cloud

List of 101 things - addendum

Here are things I need to add to my list, but haven't taken the time to do it or don't know what the priority is or it is on the list but I need to change it (in no particular order, but numbered here for clarity and ease of reading):

1. scan all photos and slides of the family
2. change: drink 8 glasses of water per day all 1001 days (too stringent). Change to 5 days out of 7, drink 8 glasses of water per day (goal is always daily, but not always possible). That is 70% of the time or 700/1001 (260/365 X 3). Since I started this, I have succeeded in the 70% mark every week.
3. Set up a rehearsal calendar for shows.
4. Set up rehearsal/show dates on Calendar and request PTO for all appropriate days.
5. get my bedroom cleaned up
6. prepare the subaru for sale
7. get transcript eval done for bachelor's degree
8. take a class summer 2008
9. Take a class every term until I complete my degree


That's it for now. I'm sure there are more.

Posting Challenged

I have all these thoughts in my head during the day that I want to write about when I get a moment to visit here and then when I sit down, all of my thoughts disappear and I am left floundering for a topic...

I imagine myself a great writer, or that someone will find my musings somewhat interesting...but maybe that isn't it. I was thinking today that I haven't really settled on some THING - like a topic - books, music, art, crafts, something that might lend a thread of a theme to my thoughts. I am just pouring out this hodgepodge of stuff.

Maybe this is like spring cleaning and then when I get everything shiny and new looking, I will be ready for the REAL work.

I hope so.

I don't get to eat them, but I found a great photo...

On Google images - I typed in cupcakes, after seeing a lovely picture of some cupcakes on a blog.

I liked this picture the best...

List of Facts about People that We all NEED to Know

Taken from Charity Navigator: Humanities
http://www.charitynavigator.org/

Did you know?

Shaken baby syndrome is responsible for about 1,500 infant deaths a year nationwide. Men are responsible for 80 percent of shaken baby syndrome cases.

The number of assaults against the homeless is rising. In 2005, 73 homeless people were assaulted nationwide and 13 died.

The U.S. Administration on Aging estimates that 1 out of 4 seniors in the U.S. has an inadequate diet.

One of every six children in America lives in poverty.

Veterans account for nearly one-third of all homeless men in America, even though the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says they comprise only 13 percent of adult males in the general population.

One in five children (10 to 17 years old) receive unwanted sexual solicitations online.

Alcohol abuse kills some 75,000 Americans each year and shortens the lives of these people by an average of 30 years.

64% percent of children ages 4-11 have cotinine in their blood (a marker of recent exposure to secondhand smoke).

There are about 542,000 foster care children in the United States; 126,000 of them are waiting to be adopted.

Of those people seeking emergency food relief, more than one-third (36%) had to choose between buying food or paying for housing.

"12 Angry Men" - Movie review

I'm supposed to interpret "12 Angry Men" in a touring show on Thursday. We won't be able to see the play until Tuesday, so I rented the original movie with Henry Fonda, Jack Klugman and a couple of other guys I can't remember.

To be honest, I was DREADING the movie. Even if I like the play, I often don't really groove to old movies. It's one of my darkest secrests (is that good or bad??) - I don't like old classic black and white movies. Some of them are all right, but I don't even want to watch them unless someone MAKES me do it.

I remember some movies from when I was a kid, but mostly, I remember watching color movies on TV when I was a kid. Even color doesn't really do it for me - I just don't automatically like a movie because it is old. I've never seen "Casablanca" or "On the Waterfront" or "From Here to Eternity" or "Citizen Kane". I've only seen a few Hitchcock movies and I didn't love them.

Anyway, "12 Angry Men" wasn't bad. One of the things I hate about old movies is how overwrought they are...the women are total washrags or too stupid to be believed and everything is often totally over the top. There are a few exceptions - "The Wizard of Oz", "To Kill a Mockingbird", but generally speaking, I just don't want to watch.

This movie was very understated in many ways. I read that they filmed the whole thing in a tiny Jury Room, so I'm sure the actors had the sense of being trapped together until they came to some kind of agreement. It made for some realism.

Anyway, I'm glad I watched it. It gave me a good feeling for what I should expect on Tuesday. It won't be a hard show to interpret. The hardest part is that John-boy is playing the lead role. Richard...Thomas? I can't remember... I never liked "The Waltons" either.

"Mamma Mia" Movie Trailer

Due out this summer!

I don't have a list today...

Today was filled with things I have to do, so while I'm participating in NaBloPoMo and the theme for March is lists, I have chosen NOT to do a list just because it seems like I should.

The last week or so has been busy and I am finding it challenging to keep up with all the posting - well, I'm keeping up, but I think the list thing can be limiting because I don't think about it as much as when I'm writing something. Does that even make sense?

I had all these grand plans to be writer when I was young. Now, all these years later, I can't think why I would ever imagine myself a writer. I'm glad to have the blog to start down the path again. I'm really rusty, so I guess this is just the dusting-off process. It feels pretty dusty in here...

It's all good, right? The journey to anywhere starts with the first step. I am taking it. I step daily. That's important.

2008-2009 Broadway Season in Portland

1. A Chorus Line - July 29-August 3, 2008










2. Spring Awakening - October 21-26, 2008











3. The Color Purple - Dec. 30, 2008-January 4, 2009









4. Wicked - March 4 - April 5, 2009









5. The Rat Pack - Live at the Sands - April 7-12, 2009










6. Grease - April 21-26, 2009














7. Rent - June 23-28, 2009